I’m not Catholic, but even I have an issue or two with the Equinox Fitness Club ad that’s gotten Boston’s Catholic population’s rosaries in a twist.
The ad ran in Boston magazine, and is pictured left. Three attractive nuns are sketching a chiseled, nude man, while another presses her body against a metalwork door and watches.
Forgive me, but what does this have to do with fitness?
The company told the Boston television station WCVB that, “Our ad campaigns are based on personal motivation and fantasy and, throughout history, the body has been considered a form of art.”
Um … could they repeat that, please? In English? I’m still not clear what this ad has to do with fitness.
It seems obvious that Equinox was hoping to ruffle feathers, get some free press and maybe even attract a fallen angel or two wanting to lose a few pounds. But, for the company to pretend that the ad serves any purpose other than provocation is, quite frankly, insincere.
Of course, this begs the question: Is there anything wrong with that? People in Boston are talking about Equinox — and there’s only one Equinox facility in the city, so it stands to reason that its profile has most definitely been raised. And isn’t that the purpose of marketing, after all?
Perhaps. But, is it worth it? I don’t have any numbers handy, but it’s my understanding that Boston is a pretty Catholic town. Why risk alienating such a large population of potential members? C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts is fired up about the ad, saying it is “exploiting and mocking and sexualizing Catholic religious imagery.”
For their part, the local nuns have risen above the situation. “It is crass, but there are a lot of crass things that I don’t pay attention to,” Sister Martha Moss told WCVB. Sister Kathryn Hermes added, “We know that these things come and go, and the best thing is to let them go.”
It’s too bad Doyle can’t count to 10 and realize his reaction plays right into Equinox’ publicity-seeking hands. See, if everyone followed the nuns’ examples and ignored the ad, then Equinox’ attempt to get free press would go straight to … well, you know.
2 comments:
I love it. As an ad man, sometimes the business situation in a very competitive segment that has become a commodity calls for what we call an awareness campaign. Sounds like people in Boston are now aware of Equinox.
I would create an ad like this and count on a certain amount of "bad" press to be successful. The people that are taking exception to the ad are not your potential customers anyway.
And the fact that Boston has such a large population of Catholics is exactly why you create an ad like this... because they will get it. As an NPC (Non-Practicing Catholic) I think the ad is pretty funny because I am very familiar with the imagery of nuns. The youthful appearance and the legs showing on the nuns was really unnecessary for the concept but Equinox sounds like a cool place to work out. I can't wait to see how they make fun of Anheuser-Busch when they open a location in my home town - St. Louis.
I can't wait to see how they make fun of Anheuser-Busch when they open a location in my home town - St. Louis.
Hmmmmm ... by harnessing a team of inebriated Clydesdales, perhaps?
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